After commenting that the pilot script was “phenomenal,” Epps tarnished his compliment slightly by mentioning that on meeting Bryan Singer for his audition, they “talked about life and everything but the script.”
“Sorry,” Singer called to Shore, who was sitting on the opposite end of the stage.
Hugh Laurie read for both the Wilson and House roles, though he discounted his chances of being cast as the “handsome man with the boyish, open face.” Instead, he focused his energies on the irascible House. “He didn't try to be liked, and the show didn't try to be liked, and I found that very likeable,” Laurie explained.
At the time, the show was simply called The Untitled Attanasio/Shore Project (“that title didn't test well”), and Laurie was only faxed three pages to his Flight of the Phoenix shoot in Namibia. So he was shocked to eventually find out that House was the central character.
Singer told the now-familiar story of being unfamiliar with Laurie's previous work — or at least, not recognizing him as the same actor — and his excitement at finally finding a red-blooded American to fill the role. “I'd said I didn't want to see any more fucking foreigners,” he admitted.
Laurie's story of getting only a glimpse of the script resulted in a fun game of one-upsmanship between the cast. Spencer indicated that he got six pages, while Epps rubbed it in that he got the whole script. Edelstein, last to be asked about her audition, complained: “I only had one joke, and that's that I got the whole script.”
“She also played the hooker on The West Wing, my favourite show,” Singer added helpfully, explaining her audition success.
“I'm a hot hooker. That's my thing,” agreed Edelstein,who also played a transvestite in a memorable Ally McBeal role.
“The biggest challenge with FOX was getting them to see her as a woman,” Singer said, before Morrison quipped: “Cuddy's back story hasn't come out yet.”
“This is why you never see Cuddy wearing pants,” declared Edelstein, who looked stunning — and undeniably female — in a blue and white dress.
Spencer, who appeared in clothes mercifully more stylish than Chase's eye-straining wardrobe, claimed to have murdered both the American and English accents before the producers were convinced to let him speak in his native Australian voice. “At one point we were going to make him English,” he said. “I'll never forget Hugh's face at the read-through.”
Article comments
1 - Joanie
Congrats! This article has been placed on Advance.net
2 - Cathy Fornabaio
To Diane Kristine-
Loved your article- have a question about it if you don't mind. You wrote... When an audience member who suffers from vasculitis and runs a
vasculitis foundation asked why they'd chosen that disease as the possible diagnosis that seems to pop up in every episode.......
I was inquiring on who you speak of. I have written in many time about the vasculitic disease- Behcet's disease. This very rare disease has come up many times on HOUSE. I have written in about it many times as well. I was inquiring so as to get connected with this person as we seem to be working towards the same goal. Would it be possible to give this person my contact info? Thank you so much for your help.
Sincerly,
Cathy Fornabaio
President American Behcet's Disease Association
3 - Diane Kristine
Sorry, Cathy, I have no idea what her name was or the specific name of her organization, though it's possible it was simply called the Vasculitis Foundation. I didn't speak to her directly - she mentioned all that as a prelude to her question about why they chose vasculitis.
And I think (besides that they're "doing God's work") the answer is that they didn't really chose it. It just pops up because the medical cases are always rare with a variety of symptoms, and vasculitis is rare with a wide variety of possible symptoms, so it ends up fitting as a possibility in many of their endless differential diagnoses.
In answer to her question, David Shore was clear that any awareness the show brings to the disease was completely unintentional, but obviously nice if it happens, and that it's the work of foundations like the questioner's that do the good work that should be recognized. So he could be serious too - I just pointed out the funny.